What is genuine Love? (Part I)
Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
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Keep your eyes on God at all times. Say the (Jesus) prayer, talk to God. When people do this work, at first they feel a little bit of God's love and later on, as they go on, they feel it more and more. Their mind is now permanently on God, and nothing earthly and vain touches them any longer. In their hearts the love of God flares up, fills their hearts, and they no longer want to think of anything but God. They are indifferent to all the things of the world and think constantly of the Heavenly Father. You see, those who are engaged in inventions are absorbed in science. But where is our absorption in Christ?
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When spiritual love is kindled, the whole breast is inflamed. The whole breast becomes a flame. The person is burned by the great sweet flame of God's love, flies and loves with real, motherly love. This inner flame, which Christ Himself kindles with His love, warms the body much more than the sensible fire and has the power to burn away every rubbish, every evil thought as well as every evil desire and every evil image. Then the soul also feels the divine pleasures that cannot be compared to any other pleasure!
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| Photo by Ron Lach |
What a great evil do most people do when we do not want to give our love to Christ, but waste it on earthly, cheap and vain things! A life of even a thousand years, and a thousand hearts to have, is not enough to give to Christ for the great love he has shown us and shows us continually: he forgives us, tolerates us, and cleanses our filthy souls with his divine blood.
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No one can conceive how much God loves man! His love cannot be compared to anything! It has no limits! It is so great that, if man feels even a little of this love, his clay heart cannot bear it; it falls apart, for it is clay.
When one gives his heart to God, he loves all things; not only all men. But also birds and trees, even snakes.
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If a man gets spiritually drunk on heavenly wine, his life here on earth becomes tormented, but in a good sense. He becomes useless to the world, indifferent to everything earthly, and considers everything " trash". Heavenly drunkenness is good, but one must be there all the time, in the endless barrel, the heavenly one. I hope you find the heavenly divine barrel and keep drinking and getting drunk from the heavenly wine!
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| Saint Paisios of Mount Athos |
Excerpts from the book "Passions and Virtues", by the elder Paisios of Mount Athos.
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